Golden Pudel protected as a “site of cultural worth” with new foundation

The Hamburg club is now in the hands of cultural foundations, meaning its future is protected from developers and private economic factors.

The club’s booker, Ralf Köster, has announced that owner Rocko Schamoni transferred 50 percent of his share to the Golden Pudel Foundation on 18 December. As the other half was acquired by the Mara & Holger Cassens Foundation for the Support of Art and Culture in a 2016 auction, the club is now completely under the legal supervision of cultural foundations. As a result, it will no longer come under threat from the private market.

Producer Daniel Wang took to Facebook this week (20 December) to confirm the announcement. His post reads: “After many years of struggle due to uncertainty with rental contracts, real estate investors and city planning, the present location CAN NO LONGER BE interfered with by private market factors.”

He adds, “It is protected as a site of cultural worth, as a counterpart against the norms of mainstream bourgeois and consumerist models of entertainment and social exchange.”

A legal dispute began in 2014 between owners Schamoni and Richter. While Richter ran the cafe upstairs, a conflict arose when Schamoni sued Richter for not paying rent. The St Pauli club faced an uncertain future in 2016 as it went up for auction and a crowdfunding campaign was launched to place it into the hands of the local community. Richter’s share was auctioned off, however, the club was later severely damaged from a fire and received €300,000 in government funding for repairs. It made its return in August 2017.